Thursday, May 10, 2012

This was the third home game I've attended this season. The first game was marred by parking gate woes that deprived me of a sweet giveaway, and the second ended early thanks to my rambunctious two-year-old. So, I was looking forward to taking in a game from start to finish.

I definitely did not want to miss the heavily-promoted pregame ceremony with Magic, Rachel Robinson, and Don Newcombe, but again, the slower-than-Rod-Barajas-to-home-plate pace of the parking gates posed a serious threat. I'm guessing the slowdown stems from the fact that the gates now accept credit cards, which I'm pretty sure is new for this season. (That, and not all lanes were open, causing some drivers to make their own lanes.) I think I know the subject of my first Fanbox email.

Thankfully, I squeaked through and made it in time for the ceremony. And what a ceremony! What made it extra special was Vin's narration. I'll tell you right now, there is NOTHING better than the voice of Vin Scully on the PA, his well-crafted words dancing through the twilight air. To top off a great opening act, the Dodgers took the field to "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn," which served as a nod to both the departed MCA and the Dodgers' rich history.

The game itself was fine. It was a a nice little pitcher's duel until ErrorFest 2012 broke out. It's always nice to see the Giants get stomped.

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A few other notes of interest:

Bobby Abreu, seen playing left field above, hit a double in his first home at-bat as a Dodger. A lot of people near me were still razzing him about his time as an Angel.

The vibe in the stadium was very positive, as you'd expect. Even the jabs between Dodger and Giant fans, at least in my section, were good-natured. Police presence was VERY visible though, even more than usher presence.

Magic got two monstrous reactions: Once when he announced "It's Time For Dodger Baseball!" and again when he appeared on the Dance Cam (set to "Do you Believe in Magic?", natch) before the eighth. It made me wonder what the general crowd reaction would have been if Cohen or Kroenke had gotten the team.

Food lines were short and moved briskly, at least on the Field level. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the new ownership, though.

A Giant fan in front of me asked an ice cream vendor about the Cool-a-Coo comeback. The vendor (who's been working at Dodger Stadium since 1974!) said the new guys are working on it, but thinks the contract with Dreyer's might cause a problem.

The intro video about Dodger Stadium's 50th Anniversary is PHENOMENAL. (I missed it the last two games.) I hope it shows up online sometime.

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All in all, a great (home) start to the Guggenheim era. I'm really looking forward to where they go from here.